K-State Research and Extension

A series of three K-State Sorghum Production Schools will be offered in early February 2018 to provide in-depth training targeted for sorghum producers and key stakeholders. The schools will be held at three locations around the state. The one-day schools will cover many issues facing sorghum growers: weed control strategies; production practices; nutrient fertility; and insect and disease management.

The dates and locations of the K-State Sorghum Production Schools are:

• February 6 – Dodge City – Boot Hill Casino Conference Ctr., 4100 W Comanche St Andrea Burns, Ford County, aburns@ksu.edu, 620-227-4542

• February 7 – Hutchinson – Hutchinson Community College, 1300 N Plum St Darren Busick, Reno County, darrenbusick@ksu.edu, 620-662-2371

• February 8 – Washington – FNB Washington 101 C Street, Box 215 Tyler Husa, River Valley District, thusa@ksu.edu, 785-243-8185

Lunch will be provided courtesy of Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission. There is no cost to attend, but participants are asked to pre-register by January 31. You can also pre-register by emailing or calling the nearest local K-State Research and Extension office for the location you plan to attend.

Online registration is available at: http://bit.ly/KSSORGHUMSchools

As we embark on the 2018 growing season, producers should be aware that dicamba herbicides Engenia, FeXapan, and XtendiMax have been reclassified as Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs). In order to purchase and apply these herbicides, you must be certified as a private or 1A (Agriculture Plant) commercial pesticide applicator.  In addition, anyone planning to apply these herbicides this coming season will be required to attend dicamba or auxin specific applicator training.  In Kansas, these trainings will be sponsored by K-State Research and Extension, as well as industry representatives from BASF, Dow/Dupont, and Monsanto. It will be the responsibility of the applicators to obtain this training before the application of these herbicides.

The purpose of these trainings is to cover the label changes and application requirements in detail and provide information on what you, as an applicator, need to do to meet these requirements. The labels for these herbicides include mandatory record keeping requirements, modified wind speed restrictions (3 to 1 miles per hour only), limited times of day that applications can be made (between sunrise and sunset), a revised list of sensitive crops and sensitive sites, buffer zone requirements, and revised sprayer cleaning procedures and documentation.

The dates and locations for K-State Research and Extension sponsored trainings will be posted on the KSU-IPM website at the following address:

https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/pesticides-ipm/private-applicator.html

https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/pesticides-ipm/images/dicamba%20training%20master%20list.pdf